Lecture 17: March 3, 2011

We began lecture by going back and looking at the Abbasid Dynasty that took place during 750-969 in Baghdad. The Abbasids tried to wipe out the memory of the Umayyid accomplishments, and Abbasid Caluph Al-Ma-mun took credit for building the Dome of the Rock. Another dynasty was named the Fatimads, taking place in Egypt in 969-1099. The welfare of Christians and Jews changes depending on the ruler. Although it is an Islamic city, near the end of their rules Jewish and Christian governors were appointed; this was an attempt to appease culture. Al-Hakim created numerous problems in 1009. In 1033, there was a terrible Earthquake that destroyed the walls of Jerusalem (including the Dome of the Rock). Due to the fact that Jerusalem sits on an earthquake fault, this is a perfect territory to be affected by such a natural disaster. There is always going to be an ongoing conflict between Persians and Arabs, because ethnically Persians are very diverse compared to Arabs.
After all the Crusades and bad events that occurred, Saladin came to Jerusalem and conquers it in 1187.  He allowed women, children, and anyone to leave. You could draw parallels to modern ethical arguments of real rule. He then went up and did purification rituals for the Haram. He allowed people to work at the Holy Sepulcher and have their holy site to themselves. Post-Crusades, you begin to see Jews coming back and settling within the Maghribi Quarter. When Saladin dies in 1194, his successors struggled for power. There was a third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh Crusade. In 1219, the walls of Jerusalem were dismantled; people flee and the population shrinks drastically. From this point forward, Jerusalem is not going to be a very important city; and it stays this way until the late 19th-20th century.
Next, Dr. Cargill moved into the topic of Mamluk and Ottoman Jerusalem. We looked at a timeline from 1244 all the way to 1948. Beginning by talking about the Mamluk period, it took place within 1250-1516. Jerusalem became a religious center. Over time, the Mamluk's became a very powerful military group holding political and military power. Dr. Cargill stated that the Mamluk's were more of a movement--opposed to a dynasty. There is an alternative event called Ziyara, which was a visit to Jerusalem (vs. Hajj--pilgrimage to Mecca). You have this idea of some symbolic purpose of defending Jerusalem, but this is a movement by the power class that see it as a religious and not a political center. Jerusalem is no longer a seed of power; it is taking on religious significance. Under the Mamluk's, the Haram is developed. There is an intensive building of schools, hospices, and hotels. I found it interesting that only two new mosques were built; one of which is the Friday Mosque in the citadel. From 1351-1353, the Black Death (plague) occurred and Jerusalem suffered.
A big part of the Mamluk movement was Architecture; which walls were built of alternating red and white courses of stones. There was a decorative technique called Muquarnas; these were inside of domes and above the entrances.
When learning about the development of the Haram-- the towers on the corners of the Haram were built, minarets were added, summer pulpit was built, the Northern colonnade added, and the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque were restored. Dr. Cargill showed us a map, pointing out that most of the improvements took place within the Islamic Quarter. It is interesting that the Jewish quarter continued to grow (Not as a political or administrative center, but as a spiritual and religious center). Through the growing Jewish quarter, the temple is spiritualized and symbolized as a path to God. Kabbalah made spiritual Aliyah to God possible.
Lastly, Dr. Cargill touched on Ottoman Jerusalem; taking place from 1516-1918. The Ottomans take Constantinople in 1453 and Selim I defeats the Mamluk's in 1517. Jerusalem is now under a strong centralized government, and was lost to Mohammed Ali in Egypt but was restored in 1840. Jerusalem is still a backwater town until the building of the Suez Canal in 1869. One powerful individual ruling from 1520-1566 was Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. He repaired and enlarged aqueducts and Sultan's Pool in 1532. More importantly, he rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem in 1536 and created an extensive campaign to refurbish the Haram and its monuments. His work in Jerusalem parallels that at Mecca and Medina.